Willem "Bill" Otto Akkerman

1930-2018

After 88 years, the last 62 of which he lived in
Canada, the last 53 in Stellarton and the last 50 as a passionately
proud Canadian citizen, Willem "Bill" Otto Akkerman (Opa)
passed away peacefully on July 5th in the loving comfort of his
family.

It is doubtful anyone in Canada quite knew what was
in store when he arrived in Montreal in 1956 as a 26 year old
immigrant from the Netherlands. A brilliant mind, an irrepressible and
intense personality, boundless intellectual curiosity and a limitless
capacity for a good joke combined left an indelible impact on just
about everyone he met.

After a few short years in Toronto where he both met
and married Gerrie, his loving wife of 59 years and began his family,
he seized on the opportunity in 1965 to move to Stellarton to help
build and launch the new Clairtone Sound Corporation manufacturing
facility. While the company ceased operations after only a few short
years, its impact on Pictou County, the nascent world color television
and stereophonic markets and Bill himself especially was profound. It
was the defining signature experience of his career. More importantly
the bond between his family and Pictou County was permanently forged.
It was here and with Amtek that his professional technical pursuits
would endure for many more years.

A fiercely loyal Canadian, his longstanding love of
his Harley Davidson motorcycle, notwithstanding, it was hard to keep a
dry eye when he recounted the emotional euphoria of seeing Canadian
soldiers arrive to liberate his home town of Apeldoorn in the
Netherlands in 1945. Many themselves were from Pictou County and he
took it upon himself on many occasions to express his unfathomable
gratitude paying tribute to them all while speaking at local schools
and annual remembrance day services.

He will be also well
remembered for his humanitarian contributions. A Paul Harris fellow he
was a longstanding Rotarian serving as President of both the Westville
and later Stellarton chapters. The Stellarton Presbyterian Church, the
Church’s men’s club and the amateur radio club
were amongst his long list of interests and pursuits.

Visitation will be held from
2-4 pm and 7-9 pm Saturday, July 7th at the H.C. MacQuarrie
Funeral Chapel on Acadia Avenue in Stellarton. A service in
celebration of his life will be held at the Stellarton Presbyterian
Church at 1 pm on Sunday, July 8th, a reception in the church
hall and internment to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
First Presbyterian church or a charity of your choice.